Need some axle nut help..... Torque-ing it...

[plkmonster2]

Ok, I need a little help with the stock axle nut. No, I'm not having problems with it coming loose, but its about tightening it. I know how to tighten it, but some say to really torque it down, some go by the manual, and others (like me!) just have no clue. Should I just do the suggested 60-70? I have no way to check the torque, but I'm good with guessing.... lol. What I have done before was put a scale on my 24 inch cresent, and brough it up to 30-35 lbs. I think taht is pretty accurate. Also, would it harm my axle bearings to get them really tight? What I mean is, if you get them really tight, would it ruin my bearings? Finally, is it bad for your brake disc to be able to rotate a little bit on the axle? Mine did that, but once I tightened it up, it was fine... Thanks everyone, PLK

[F-16Guy]

You can torque it down pretty good. It's really important to not overtorque it if you have tapered bearings, but if you have the stock kind, you can get away with not using a torque wrench. I would clean the threads up on both the nut and axle and use some red loc-tite, otherwise it will probably loosen up at some point. I actually used loc-tite and had it drilled and safety-wired. No problems since. Tighter is better than looser on the straight bearings, you don't want any play, and there's a sleeve that sits between the bearings in the carrier that prevent damage from overtorquing.

[TC426EX]

The easy thing to do is to spend 45 bucks on a RAD pinchbolt locknut and rid yourself of that god forsaken stock unit... That stock axle nut is WORTHLESS and should be replaced the first time its removed... Youll thank yourself later if you get a simple pinchbolt locknut...

[bradley300]

snug down the inner nut, dont torque it with all your might because it puts increased side load on the bearings. give the outer nut all youve got as it holds the inner nut in place, be sure to clean the threads with some brake cleaner or something and use red loctite. you wont have any problems with it